Do not give in to evil,
but proceed ever more boldly against it.

After nearly two months of distractions¹, this week I have returned to the important business of riding my motorcyle.

I tend to imagine I have mostly owned sports bikes — ZZR600, YZF-R6, Fazer 600, K1200S — but I suppose half have been trailies — TS125X, KLR650, 640 LC4 Supermoto and 950 Supermoto. We Brits seem to obsess about having the fastest bike man has ever known² but there are in fact speed limits and being bolt upright without a fairing tends to reinforce a proper desire  to ride within the law.

More importantly, the 950 combines agility with tremendous acceleration, two joyful features which have not yet been spoiled by the passionless individuals who seem determined to extinguish the flame of humanity wherever it may be found. Hooray!

Throw in some luggage — and I can report that two dry-cleaned suits fit — heated grips and hand guards, and we have an all-rounder of accomplishment. I suppose if one wanted something faired and a bit duller, the GS is available; I will bide my time.

So there we have it: my finest motorcycle is a giant high performance trail bike with sports wheels, tyres and brakes. What a magnificent idea: I congratulate the Americans on the invention and the Europeans on their commitment to it.

Oh yes, and today I softened the suspension to mid-way between standard and sport, making the ride much more satisfactory.

1. Earning a living, poverty, banking and a transformation in motoring… it’s a quiet life. [↩]
2. I just bet MCN still has a headline like “BMW S1000RR humbles Fireblade” or whatever… [↩]

There was some congestion and some of the roadworks were lengthy, but for the most part, the autobahn had moderate traffic and no speed limit. Where there was a limit away from hazards, it was 120 kph, which is still 75 mph.

On this trip, the roof box kept my speeds down to double digits, but cruising at 90 mph was a joy.  Even with the extra drag, my Saab was still more efficient over this high-speed journey than it is over mixed British routes.

There’s something magnificent about people driving responsibly at well over 100 mph without drama. However, it seems most autobahn drivers select around 90 mph (145 kph), a speed remarkably similar to that chosen by all those naughty drivers on UK motorways who choose to ignore the limit. I wonder if it would be the 85th percentile…

Since Austria, with its 130 kph motorway limit, was a joy too, one wonders what we are missing in the UK and why we are being asked to trundle around at 70 mph, a limit which anyone who drives on the motorway will know is both generally ignored and unenforced. Wouldn’t it be better to have a credible limit, greater compliance and consistent, fair enforcement?

And so it’s time for me to make my way through “Road Accidents, Prevent or Punish”: more later.

Two road safety initiatives struck me today:

Drivers will have to declare every 10 years whether they are medically able to get behind the wheel, according to proposals to be set out early in the new year.

via Drivers to have 10-year health checks under driver licence reforms and:

Automatic speed control devices should be installed in cars to force motorists to stick to speed limits, an influential pressure group recommended today.

via ‘Speed control’ devices should be installed in cars, say campaigners. The Times fails to point out that the proponent “pressure group”, the Motorists’ Forum, is part of the Government quango The Comission for Integrated Transport. 

Both proposals diminish personal responsibility. Both will be costly for someone. Both have voluntary elements which don’t sound like they will be voluntary for long. Neither is very convincing.
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A team of British engineers is aiming to break the 1,000mph (1,610km/h) barrier on wheels for the first time.

Wing Commander Andy Green, who broke the land speed record in 1997, talks about why he wants to go even faster as the driver of Bloodhound.

Watch the video here. I served at RAF Leeming with Andy in 1994: it’s great to see a fighter pilot setting out to inspire engineers.